SGMacgyver
by avidgokufan
Summary: Chapter 5 is up! When Jack comes back depressed from a mission, his team becomes very worried. While they search for answers, Jack's life becomes more complicated than usual. A Stargate SG-1/Macgyver crossover. Set around season 5.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here as a special present to those who have reviewed my other stories. It's a little story I've been working on in my spare time. Like so many of my other stories, this is not finished, but it will give you a little something to chew on while I'm gone. Enjoy. (Look to profile to find out when I'll be back.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters herein. However, I appreciate them letting us experiment with the characters. Gracias.

Chapter 1

"Receiving SG-1's signal, sir," Sergeant Walter Harriman said, and sighed in relief. For once, the SGC's flag team was on time, and everything seemed to be normal.

General Hammond nodded, his face echoing the other man's relief. "Open the iris," he commanded, and made his way down to greet the incoming team.

The iris swished open, revealing the open end of the wormhole. A few moments later, SG-1 walked through. However, they were unusually quiet. Hammond could instantly tell that something was wrong. No one seemed injured, but Colonel Jack O'Neill stood apart from the rest of his team, and his gaze was somewhere else entirely. Teal'c's sober gaze was locked on his friend and commander, while Daniel and Major Carter seemed to be trying to look anywhere else.

General Hammond stopped in front of the team, drawing three of the four gazes to himself. Teal'c faced him, the concern on his face plainly visible to those who knew him. Daniel seemed nervous and uncomfortable. He kept fiddling with his glasses and shooting the occasional glance at the Colonel. However, under Hammond's concerned gaze, he stilled and faced him. Major Carter stood straight in proper military position, her eyes full of concern and never leaving General Hammond's face. Only O'Neill seemed to not notice the General's approach. He had stopped automatically with the others, but it had been an unconscious action. General Hammond cleared his throat, and slowly the other man seemed to wake up.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond asked, his tone very authoritative. Jack came smartly to attention and locked his gaze on his commanding officer's face. Hammond was shocked at the amount of naked pain that briefly manifested itself in his friend's eyes before Jack managed to hide it.

"Yes, sir?" Jack asked, standing straight, his lean frame rigid and proper. His dark brown hair was beginning to turn silver at the temples, normally the only sign of his approaching age. However, today he seemed haggard and worn.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen during your mission?"

Jack slowly shook his head in a negative. "No, sir. The mission was a complete success. P7B-257 is completely Goa'uld free. Routine mission, sir." Jack's gaze was direct and unwavering and there was no deception in his look. However, Hammond knew the man too well. Something was seriously wrong, but Hammond also knew when to back off.

"Very well. Colonel O'Neill, report to the infirmary. We'll debrief as soon as your team is cleared." Jack nodded and, without arguing, turned and left. Hammond swallowed nervously. Something was definitely wrong. Anyone who knew Jack would understand. The man hadn't muttered a single sarcastic word or complaint since they had returned. He seemed strangely old, tired, and uncharacteristically depressed.

Hammond wheeled on the remaining members of SG-1. "What happened?" he asked, his temper flaring with his worry.

Major Carter shook her head. "We aren't sure, sir. He's been that way nearly the entire trip. We reached P7B-257 on schedule and split up. He and Teal'c covered the northwest direction, and Daniel and I covered the southeast. We didn't see anything, sir. The place will make a perfect habitation next time we need to relocate someone. Best of all, it's from the ancient data base, so the Goa'uld have no record of it."

Hammond turned to look at Teal'c. "Did something happen while you and Colonel O'Neill were checking out your areas?"

The stoic Jaffa shook his head. "He remained unusually silent. In fact, I do not recall O'Neill making any attempt at humor."

The worry deepened on the faces of SG-1. Hammond sighed, "Well," he said, "knowing Colonel O'Neill, if it's a private issue he won't tell us what's wrong anyway. Hopefully he gets over it soon. I'll make sure Janet gives him a thorough examination though, just to be sure."

The other members of SG-1 nodded, the worry still very evident in their every movement.

* * *

Jack had meant to go to the infirmary, really he had. However, when he came to himself, he realized he had wandered into the locker room. Without really thinking about it, he opened his locker. Habit made him glance around to make sure he was alone, and then he pulled out the old Van Dyck box that he kept at the bottom of the locker. He slowly opened the lid. Charlie's smiling face greeted him as he pulled out the picture and gazed at it.

"Charlie," he thought, the word echoing through his mind. He remained that way for several moments before he slowly took the picture off the top and placed it on the bottom of the pile. Right underneath it was another picture. One of a much younger Jack, his hair died blond and far longer, his arm around a young man, broad grins on both their faces. To the side of them both were two motorcycles, leaning comfortably against each other.

Jack's eyes creased in pain and another word began to resound through his memory.

"Sam."

* * *

_Spring 1991_

"_Hi, Mr. Thronton!" The young man's eyes sparkled with delight and excitement. Jack couldn't help but grin with excitement too._

_Pete Thornton didn't look nearly so happy. However, he greeted the younger men with a smile. "Sam," he said and shook his hand. Then he looked at them both and asked, "What, are you guys all packed for your trip?"_

_Jack stepped forward, "Just finished."_

_Pete hesitated and then muttered, "Oh, uh, Macgyver," and reached into his jacket to pull out a paper. "The Phoenix board asked me to give you this."_

_Jack shook his head, rolled his eyes, and drawled, "Pete..."_

_Pete quickly intercepted him, "It's an offer of a new contract and it's very generous. I think you ought to take a look at it."_

_Jack didn't glance in its general direction. "We've been through this before, Pete." He stopped and smiled fondly at his newly-discovered son. "Sam and I have a little catching up to do." Sam grinned broadly as Jack playfully patted him on the cheek._

_Pete watched the exchange affectionately, then deliberately stuck the paper back in his jacket. "Well, I, I told them I didn't think you'd go for it." There was a long pause, and then Pete's smile fell away. "You know, I can't even imagine what it's going to be like without you around here."_

_Jack's felt sadness briefly overwhelm him as he gazed at his old friend. "Well," he said, "it was bound to happen. Things change."_

"_Not always," Pete said, "good things don't."_

_Jack smiled slightly. Pete gazed at him and said, with more seriousness than Jack had ever seen before, "Don't you EVER change, Macgyver." _

_Jack felt sadness fill his heart._

* * *

A voice suddenly cut through his thoughts causing him to jump. "Colonel Jack O'Neill!" barked the intercom. "Report to the infirmary immediately." Jack shook his head, bringing himself out of him memories. He carefully replaced the photos and stood up, unconsciously dusting himself off. Then he turned and left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack walked into the infirmary and sat down on the table. Dr. Fraser and her team were nowhere in sight and Jack studiously began to examine his hands.

* * *

_May 1992_

_Jack cuddled the baby closer, breathing in his adorable baby-smell._

"_Hey, Dad!" he heard Sam yell from downstairs. Kissing the sleeping baby's forehead, Jack carefully placed the baby in its crib and then went downstairs. _

"_What is it, Sam?" He asked sidling around the corner to stare at his oldest son. _

_Sam grinned. "Sara is home early from her business trip! She said she'll be here in a few minutes. What do you say we celebrate!"_

_Jack/Macgyver grinned. He'd never been happier in his life. "Come on, Sam," he said_, _"you know she wants you to call her Mom." _

_Sam looked a little uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his head ruefully, "Ah, I know, Dad, but I had a mother. A great one even. It'll just take some getting used to."_

"_So, Sam," Mac said as they began to set the table, "have you decided where you're going to college?"_

_Sam laughed, "Well, I wa..."_

* * *

"JACK!"

Jack jumped, falling off the table. He looked up to see Janet struggling not to laugh. He tried for a smile, but knew it failed miserably. "Come on, Doc," he said, "let's just get this over with without damaging me too much."

Janet shook her head and threw up her hands. "I wasn't the one who was ignoring YOU. Now," she said, putting her stethoscope on, "let's see if we can get you checked out."

As they began the familiar routine, Jack could feel his mind wandering again.

* * *

_December 1993_

_A knock sounded on the door. Jack/Mac opened it and yawned. However, as he saw who was outside, he was caught off guard and stopped mid-yawn. Realizing he was standing at the door with his mouth hanging open, he snapped his mouth shut and threw open the door. "Well, I'll be! Pete!"_

_He reached forward and took the older man's hand that wasn't holding a cane, and shook it enthusiastically. "Long time no see, my friend. How did you find me?" _

_Pete didn't smile. "We've got a problem, Mac."_

_The serious look on Pete's face filled Macgyver's gut with lead. "What is it? You know I'm retired, right?"_

_Pete sighed and ran his hand along his head. "Yeah, I know. Unfortunately, though, some people don't care. It's Murdoc, Mac. He's back. He killed one of our agents to find out where you are. He's coming."_

_Macgyver felt the lead in his gut spread._

* * *

"Alright, Colonel. All done." Jack nodded listlessly and got up. As he walked out the door, concern filled the face of the doctor. Yes, something was definitely wrong with Colonel O'Neill.

General Hammond looked at Colonel O'Neill as they began the debriefing. He was staring off into space obviously not listening as Daniel discussed some of the unique properties of some of the 'rocks' on the planet. His eyes were gazing into the distance, unfocused and murky.

It took General Hammond a moment to realize that Daniel had stopped talking. "Thank you, Dr. Jackson," he said. Daniel nodded toward Jack, and General Hammond knew that Daniel understood why his mind had been wandering.

"Now, SG-1, you are hereby off duty until further notice," General Hammond declared. "Go home and get some sleep. Take a couple days off."

"Excuse me?"

Jack's voice cut through the room like a knife through butter. Everyone froze.

"Did you want something, Colonel?" Hammond asked.

Jack leaned forward and raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he demanded abruptly.

"Why what?" Hammond asked, trying to look innocent.

"Why are we off duty?"

Hammond sighed, then decided he might as well tell the truth. "Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Fraser has determined that you need a break, and I'm inclined to agree. Unless, however, you feel like sharing with the rest of us whatever is bothering you?"

Jack scowled dangerously. Then he stood up and asked in his most irritating tone, "Are we dismissed, _sir?_"

Hammond sighed. This man would be the death of him one day. "Yes, Colonel. You are dismissed."

Jack strolled out, his lengthy stride carrying him out of the room and out of sight within seconds.

General Hammond looked at Major Carter and Daniel. "Why don't you go keep him company? I'm a little concerned about him. You too, Teal'c."

The three members of SG-1 nodded. Major Carter saluted briefly and then they all hurried out.

Jack was already to the parking lot by the time they caught up to him. Such was his internal concentration, that he didn't even hear them approach. This was perhaps the most distressing sign yet. Teal'c face showed open concern. He laid a hand on Jack's shoulder, causing the man to jump. Jack looked at them as though waking from a dream and scrubbed his face. "Sorry about that, T. Little less alert today than normal."

Teal'c nodded.

"Well, I'm off. Have a good night." Before any of them could say anything, Jack had climbed into his truck and shut the door. They stood in silence and watched him drive off.

"Let's follow him," Daniel said. When the other two looked a him in shock, he added, with a shrug, "Just in case."

The other two nodded and all three raced for the nearest vehicle.

Jack stopped at the grocery store, unaware of the car that had followed him from the mountain. Too deeply in thought, he seemed to be on autopilot as he got out of his truck and entered the store.

Acting normal, Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam followed him at a safe distance. "Why are we attempting to conceal our presence?" Teal'c asked.

Sam looked at Daniel, her gaze questioning. Daniel shrugged. "Well, I really don't think Jack feels like having company right now. We're just making sure he gets home okay."

"And what if O'Neill detects us?" Teal'c asked in his usual deadpan.

Daniel shrugged again. "Then we claim we're grocery shopping. What else would we be doing?" Teal's slowly raised an eyebrow, causing Sam to hide a smile.

They slowly followed along as Jack browsed from section to section, finally stopping in the beer aisle. They watched as he paused for a long moment, one that suddenly became two or three. Jack simply stood and stared at the beer, not making any motion toward picking it up. SG-1 shifted uncomfortably after a few minutes.

"I wonder what's wrong with him?" Sam whispered, catching the attention of a nearby woman. She followed the gaze of the three people standing next to her, and then suddenly her hand flew to her mouth in a startled gasp. Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam spun around in panic as the woman flew past them and raced toward Jack.

"Macgyver?" they heard her utter quietly as she flew past, and then the next instant she shouted it, her voice full of joy. "Macgyver!"

Jack jumped as the brunette-haired woman threw her arms around him and the next instant was passionately kissing him.

"What the..." Daniel stuttered, as they watched a strange woman kiss their commanding officer. Jack seemed helpless with shock, his eyes wide as he stared at the face pressed against his own.

"Perhaps we should intervene?" Teal'c asked, after a moment. However, at that exact second, the woman pulled away. Jack still seemed frozen in shock, but the woman didn't seem to have a problem with her voice.

"It IS you! I found you! I can't believe it! We knew you weren't dead. They told us you were, but Pete said he would know if you were dead. He's been looking forever for you! Where have you been the last few years? We looked everywhere! How are Sara, Sam, and Charlie? Sorry, about the kiss, I forgot for a second you were married. I was just so thrilled to see you! I love your hair, though I can't believe you cut it. The silver doesn't look bad at all, in fact, I think it makes you look very distinguished. Oh, I can't wait to tell Pete! You don't know how much he's missed you..."

The woman continued to ramble on as Jack just stood there with his mouth hanging open. Finally, he put up his hands and waving them said, "Hold it, hold it!"

The woman trailed off, her face still glowing with excitement. Jack looked at her, and to his team's surprise asked, "Penny Parker, what on earth are you doing here?"

Daniel looked stunned and whispered, "He knows her?"

The woman beamed at him again and said, "Well, I've got this new gig...well, less than a gig, it's more like a commercial. I get to brush my teeth on t.v.! Then I have to sing a little ditty and dance around. Here let me show you!" she said, enthusiastically and stepped back putting her hands up.

Jack however, quickly stopped her. "Uh, maybe later, Penny."

Suddenly, Penny's face darkened and her lip jutted out in a pout. "Hey, wait a minute. If you're alive, how come you haven't contacted us?"

Jack seemed to wake up from his shock at the question. Muttering something, he grabbed a six-pack and put it in his cart. Penny's eyes widened in shock. Placing her hands on her hips she followed him as he began to walk off, "Macgyver, what are you doing with that beer? Is it some sort of joke? Has Sara began drinking, cause I know it can't possibly be yours. You never touch the stuff! If Pete saw that in your cart, you know what he'd say..." her voice trailed off as she and Jack disappeared around the corner, her arms in the air as she gesticulated wildly.

As they disappeared, Daniel looked at Teal'c and Sam. "What on Earth was that?" he asked. Their returning confusion was the only answer he got.

* * *

Jack sighed as Penny continued to babble. She had talked to him all throughout the store, seeming to have forgotten about her own groceries somewhere. She followed him through the checkout and then out to the parking lot. Though he was interested to learn what she had been up to the past few years, the last thing he needed right now was this. As Jack loaded the groceries into his truck he heard the door on the other side open and Penny climbed in. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Coming with you of course, Macgyver! Do you honestly think after all this time I'm going to let you out of my sight?"

Jack's eyes widened and his eyebrows lifted as she quickly buckled up and looked at him stubbornly. He looked back, unsure what to do. It was amazing how good it was to see her again. She looked good. The years certainly hadn't been hard on her. He hadn't seen Penny in over eight years. The last time he had seen her, she had come visiting him and Sara to see little Charlie. Pete had driven her there. Jack sighed and got in his own door. He put the keys in the ignition and took off for home as Penny began to talk again.

"So what have you been up to Macgyver? You never answered my earlier question. How are Sam, Charlie, and Sara? I feel like it's been forever. Why didn't you tell us you were alive? We didn't know what to think after we found..."

"Please, Penny," he said, putting up a hand. "Please don't ask any questions right now."

"Why, Macgyver?" When he didn't answer her and continued to drive down the road. She sighed, folded her arms, and sat completely still. When the silence continue for several minutes, he looked at her in surprise. She caught his look and asked, "What?"

He shook his head and focused his eyes back on the road. He didn't answer for a moment, and then he said, "It's just..." he paused and then looking at her again, he continued, "I've just never heard you be quiet before."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's because when someone's quiet, you don't hear anything, silly."

Jack looked at her again in surprise and then a small smile, a genuine one, stole across his face. Penny looked happier and settle back to watch the road. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Jack knew she couldn't keep quiet for too long. "My house," he said.

A few minutes later they pulled up to his home. She whistled softly and he looked at her.

"Nicer than the boat house," she said.

Jack smiled again. Though this was going to complicate things, he couldn't help admitting to himself that he did feel a little better for the moment. He got out of the truck, grabbing his groceries. As he trekked up the front steps, he was alarmed to find the door already open.

Quickly placing the groceries on the ground, he pulled his gun out, removed the safety and cocked it. Penny's eyes widened almost comically at the sight of the gun, but before she could say anything he quickly motioned for her to be quiet. Surprisingly, she her mouth snapped shut and she slowly stepped behind him as he slipped inside and searched the hallway. He continued cautiously until he came into the living room to find a most unpleasant surprise awaiting him.

Jack froze, his gun trained on the man sitting on the couch and said, his voice layered with disgust, "Simmons."

"Hello, O'Neill," Colonel Simmons said, "I must say, you really should be more careful about locking your door, you never know who might come sneaking in."

"Get out," Jack said, and at that moment, Penny Parker came up behind him.

"Macgyver," she said in a loud whisper that carried easily to the Colonel, "who is that man, and why is he in your house? For that matter, what are you doing with a gun?"

Colonel Simmonds visibly twitched at the name Macgyver and his eyes widened for an instant as he stared at Colonel O'Neill in shock. The expression lasted for a split second and then it disappeared to be replaced by a much more subtle, calculating look. Jack felt dread settle into his gut.

Jack pretended he hadn't noticed Simmons's reaction, and instead turned to Penny, all the while keeping his gun trained on the Colonel. "Penny," he said, his voice as patient as he could manage, "please go upstairs until I finish talking to this slime sucking sycophant. It shouldn't take long."

She looked a bit off balance, but she nodded and headed in the direction of the stairs. As she passed out of sight, Jack turned his attention back to Simmons.

"Get out now before I call the police, Simmons."

"Now, now," said the unruffled Colonel, "is that anyway to treat someone who's doing you a favor?"

Jack snorted, "If it's a favor from you, I'm going to have to refuse. This is your final warning." He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and began to dial.

Later he decided he must have been severely distracted. He hadn't been expecting Simmons to pull something, so when the man whipped out a gun and fired it at him, he was an instant too slow reacting. The bullet knocked the gun out of his hand and went straight through his palm, causing him to release his cellphone too. Jack yelled as he dropped to the ground and rolled behind a couch.

"Simmons, are you nuts?" he roared, as he tried to stem the bleeding from his hand.

He heard Simmons's soft chuckle and Jack couldn't help but answer his own question with a muttered, "Do I even need to ask?"

He heard the man's slow tread as the man began to walk around the couch toward him. Jack snagged the nearby lamp, dove out from behind the couch, and smashed it into Simmons. The man tried to raise his arm, but the lamp shattered across it and his back. Colonel Simmons screamed and fired the gun as he crashed to the floor, but Jack had already made it back under cover. Colonel Simmons swore viciously as he wiped the blood away from his eye, where a piece of ceramic from the lamp had cut him. "This is useless, Jack. Just give up and come with me."

Jack slowly scrambled to his knees and began to move in the opposite direction, trying to keep the couch in between him and Simmons. Simmons climbed back to his feet and kicked over a stool. Then he began talking, loudly broadcasting his voice

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but I'm afraid you really must hear me out. I have several...confederates who are most interested to meet with you. Please come quietly or I may be forced to...involve...the young woman upstairs and that would be extremely unfortunate."

"Listen, Simmons," Jack said. "If you so much as take a step toward the stairs I'll rip your head off." Jack's every sense was trained on the man's footsteps on the other side of the couch, so when he felt the sudden sting in his arm, it was unexpected. He glanced down to see a tranquilizer dart sticking out.

Jack spun around in his crouch to find a masked man holding another gun on him. Jack slowly straightened his arms into a surrender position, and moved to pull the dart out, but as he did so, the man in front of him fired twice more, and Jack looked down to see two more darts sticking out of his chest. As Jack felt the drugs begin to overwhelm his senses, he became conscious of Simmons moving into his line of vision. Jack was satisfied to see that he had caused the other man to have blood running from his arm, back and face, but as Jack tried to remain in his crouch, he felt himself lose control of his legs, and he fell onto his back.

"You see, Jack," Colonel Simmons said, with a sardonic smile, as he became the focus of Jack's wavering vision, "I knew better than to underestimate you. We came fully prepared. Now all we have to do is remove the sole witness."

"Don't you dare..." Jack tried to say, but the last thing he heard as he slumped to the ground was the sound of Simmons's cellphone ringing.

As Colonel O'Neill lost the struggle with consciousness, Simmons whipped open his cellphone and snapped, "What is it?"

He listened intently to the voice on the other line, then he said, "Understood." Shutting the phone, he tucked it back into his pocket and said, "Wrap up the package. We've got to go."

As another two men came in and picked up the still form of Colonel O'Neill, the man who had tranquilized him protested, "What about the female? She saw you!"

"She is irrelevant. His team is on their way here. We have to leave now."

The man nodded and quickly he helped take Jack's body out to a dark van. They quickly threw Jack inside and drove away, uncaring of the woman who watched them from the upstairs window of Jack's house.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c drove up to the house a few minutes later, it was with some trepidation.

Daniel parked the car, and they all sat there in silence. "He may not be too happy to see us here, Sam," Daniel repeated, an argument they had already hashed and rehashed.

"I know, Daniel," Sam said, and she sighed. "That's why we waited for a few minutes, so he at least wouldn't think we followed him straight home."

"Teal'c, are you on board with this?" Daniel asked.

"I am not," Teal'c said, "I believe we should not interfere in O'Neill's affairs."

Sam sighed again and ran a hand through her short hair. "Well, we can at least go in and invite him to come watch a movie or something. That way we could at least make sure he got home okay."

Daniel sighed and nodded. He opened his door and waited while Sam and Teal'c also got out of the car. "Well, let's do this," he muttered, "though I'm not looking forward to being chewed out."

As Daniel rang on the doorbell, he was surprised as the door burst open to reveal the brunette they had seen earlier looking wild-eyed and shocked. "Are you friends of Mac?" she asked, her voice a bit shrill with shock.

"Uh, do you mean Jack?" Daniel asked.

The woman shook her head. "No, I mean Macgyver, the guy who lives here!"

"In that case, yes," Sam said, as she and Daniel exchanged looks that spoke volumes about the woman's sanity.

Teal'c though, had sensed the urgency in the woman's tone, "Has something transpired with O'Neill?"

The woman seemed puzzled by his odd choice of words and they she said, "That's what the man called him too! Come quick!" Then she turned and ran back into the house.

The three outside exchanged glances. "This can't be good." As one, they ran into the house. The sight that greeted them was not one they had expected. Several pieces of furniture had been knocked over, one lamp had been shattered, and there were quite a few dark stains in the carpet.

Teal'c dropped next to one and stuck his finger in it and brought it up to his nose. "It is blood," he proclaimed solemnly.

Then he wheeled on the brunette woman and said, "Where is O'Neill?"

The woman glared and folded her arms across her chest, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. They took him and drove away."

Sam stared at the carnage in the living room and then turned to the woman. "We need you to come with us to answer some questions." The brown-haired woman looked a little unsure, but finally nodded her agreement.

* * *

Jack woke up wishing he hadn't. His head and limbs ached with the residual effects of the drug and he groaned as he struggled to open his eyes. He tried to move, but found his ability to do so was limited.

"Good morning, Colonel O'Neill," a heavily accented voice greeted him. Jack quickly placed the accent as coming from Germany, and he managed to crack his eyelids open to view a woman dressed in medical white.

"My name is Patty Scholden. I'll be the doctor in charge of you today. Don't try to move too much, Colonel," the woman continued. "They overshot you with tranquilizer. The amount they gave you was a fairly dangerous, high dose, that might have possibly killed you, but luckily you survived with minimal damage. Isn't that wonderful?"

Jack glared at her and managed to gasp out, "Where am I?"

The doctor clapped her hands in delight. "Marvelous! You have regained control of your ability to speak far quicker than anticipated. This should allow us to begin shortly."

"Begin what?" Jack asked, half-hoping the doctor wouldn't tell him.

"Why, the interrogation of course," the doctor said, looking confused, "what else would I be talking about?"

Jack sighed and against his will slipped back into unconsciousness. The doctor looked disappointed as she realized her patient was no longer with her, but then she shrugged it off and began humming as she readied several tools around his unconscious form.

* * *

_December 1993_

"_Sara!" Macgyver yelled as he ran into their bedroom and began to frantically pack. _

"_What is it, Mac?" she asked, coming in from the other room, holding a six-month-old Charlie. _

"_We've got to go, right away! Place a call to Sam, and tell him to get out of town for the time being."_

_Sara nodded, put Charlie on the ground where he happily began to play with his toys, and picked up the phone. "What is it, Mac? What's wrong?"_

_Macgyver looked up from his frantic packing and she felt a jolt of fear hit her at the look in his eyes. "It's Murdoc, Sara, he's back. And he'll use anyone to get to me. I can't risk you or the kids."_

_Not fully understanding the danger, Sara knew enough to know that Macgyver NEVER seemed to get scared. However, with his family on the line, he was now terrified._

_The phone began to ring in her ear, but after the tenth ring, there was still no response. She looked with horror at Macgyver, and he slowly stilled as he felt her gaze on his back. "What is it?" he asked tersely._

"_Sam's not answering his phone," she said, and Macgyver's frame froze like an icicle._

* * *

Jack once again rose to the land of the living. He felt much better, and was determined to learn as much about his circumstance as possible before giving away that he was awake. He listened and heard at least two other people in the room with him. He could feel that he was strapped down to a table at a slight incline, and very carefully he tried to test his binds without giving away that he was awake. However, the movement must have been too much, because he heard a most unwelcome voice greet him.

"Well, good morning, Colonel O'Neill," Simmons said. "How nice of you to join us."

Deciding the playing dead wasn't going to get him anywhere, Jack snapped his eyes open and immediately regretted it. The tranquilizer had made him photosensitive, and the sudden glaring light caused pain to slice through his head like a hatchet. He stifled his groan though, unwilling to show weakness in front of Simmons.

"Who's your new friends, Simmons?" Jack asked, after slowly opening his eyes once again.

"Oh, we're not new friends. We go way back, don't we, Patty?"

The nurse grinned and said, "Certainly, sir."

Jack pulled a little more forcefully at his restraints and wasn't surprised to see that they didn't even budge.

"What do you want?" Jack asked.

"Never one for pleasantries, were you, Colonel?" Simmons asked. "Always right down to business. Fine, we'll do it your way." Simmons motioned for a third person to step into the room. Jack was briefly surprised to realize it was someone he recognized. As he took in the face of the once powerful Adrian Conrad, he turned his head back to Simmons in shock.

"You're letting a Goa'uld in here? Are you nuts? Do you know how fast he could kill you and be on his merry way?"

Simmons smiled, "Well, you see, this particular Goa'uld has more to gain by keeping me alive. Beside the fact that, if I die, this room will be sealed and gassed. Therefore, killing me would be rather foolish."

Jack shrugged and briefly gave Simmons a tiny bit of credit. "I suppose there is no question of who shot me now, is there?" Simmons shrugged and Jack asked the next question on his mind, "So, what is he doing here? I highly doubt you invited him in for tea and crumpets."

"He is going to join us in our experiment, Colonel O'Neill. An experiment I'm sure you will find absolutely fascinating."

"And that would be...?"

Simmons motioned for the female doctor to come forward.

"Do you remember the experience with Hathor, Colonel O'Neill?" the woman asked.

Jack rolled his eyes and drawled, "Which time?"

The woman smiled and said, "The second time, when she tried to implant you with a Goa'uld."

Jack did his best to look nonchalant and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Colonel Simmons snorted, "Please, Colonel," he said, "don't try and play the fool with me. I've read your reports. We could even read to you your account of that situation. I know you remember it."

Jack glared at Simmons and said, "So? What's your point?"

Colonel Simmons gestured for Patty to continue. "I was most intrigued by the fact that you were able to resist the 'blending' as long as you did. From all accounts it was several minutes before you were frozen, and the Goa'uld had still been unable to establish control."

Jack shrugged as best he could again. Those weren't his favorite memories, and he would be happier to not bring them up. "And? So? Therefore?" he said.

Patty smiled winningly, "Well, Colonel, I'm sure you're aware of this, but your case is the only situation I have ever heard of where a host was able to resist being taken over. Mr. Conrad confirms my assessment as well."

Adrian Conrad's eyes glowed briefly and then he admitted reluctantly in the hollow tones of the Goa'uld, "There are no hosts in my genetic memory that had the ability to resist. There were a few subspecies of humans whose bodies rejected the joining, but this experience proved most painful to both the host and the Goa'uld. From what Colonel Simmons has described to me, your circumstance was most irregular."

Colonel Simmons butted in at this point, "We thought at first it might be part of your Special Ops training, but I'm sure you recall Major Kawalski."

"What about him?" Jack asked, his face revealing nothing.

"Well, even though he was taken over by a Goa'uld who was not quite ready for a host, it still instantaneously gained control of him, if only for a few moments. Major Kawalski had also received special ops training."

"So, Colonel," Patty broke in, "what we have here is an enigma of sorts. And it all centers on you."

Jack decided he didn't really like where this conversation was going.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is for those of you who I've left hanging for the last couple of years. It's a nice long chapter, that explains a lot. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"So...who are you exactly? And how do you know Colonel O'Neill?" Sam asked the pretty brunette.

Teal'c was driving, Daniel was sitting in the front seat next to him, and Sam and the woman were in the back. Daniel turned around to listen in on the conversation.

The woman shrugged and then smiled. "His name is really Macgyver, and I've known him for a long time. We met when he rescued me from my boyfriend, who was actually evil, only I didn't know it. Well, actually, he wasn't evil, it was just his father who had stolen some jewelry and then tried to kill me and Mac, but Mac helped me escape by using a hanger and a chair while we were in an airport locked in a room. He's really smart! Oh, and there was this other time when I was singing, but I picked the wrong house and the men inside tried to kill me, but Mac was able to find us before we froze to death, and this other time where this evil guy tried to kidnap me and use me to lure Mac to his death, but Macgyver was able to defeat him and save me again!"

Sam and Daniel simply stared as the torrent of words poured out of the woman's mouth at breakneck speed. Finally, Sam shook her head and turned to Daniel. "Most likely Colonel O'Neill was on an undercover mission at the time, using the name Macgyver," she murmured. Daniel nodded, looking relieved. Teal'c merely looked at them silently.

The pulled up to the SGC and the woman continued to babble. They all accidently stopped paying attention after a while. Suddenly, Sam's ears pricked as she heard a familiar name.

"Simmons?" she interrupted, "Did you say Simmons?"

"Yes!" the woman replied, sounding a little annoyed, "That's what Mac called him. Haven't you been listening to a word I've said?"

Deciding to ignore that question, Sam focused instead on what Penny had been telling her. "So tell me again what happened."

"Like I said," Penny continued, her voice still sounding slightly annoyed, but quickly losing that tone as she realized she had everyone's undivided attention. "I followed Mac back to his house and when we got there the front door was open. Mac looked nervous and then did something I never expected him to do!"

"What was that?" Daniel asked curious, interested despite himself in the past of his friend, even if it was just an undercover mission.

"He pulled out a gun! Can you imagine that?" Penny looked at the other three in the car, wide-eyed.

SG-1 exchanged glances, once more questioning the woman's sanity. Jack must have been pretty heavily undercover for her not to know about the man's affinity for weapons.

"Please continue, Penny Parker," Teal'c said after a moment's silence.

"So, we walked in, and Mac called the man Simmons. Then the man called him O'Neill and told him he should lock his door. I've always thought that was a good idea personally, but even back then sometimes, Mac never listened to my tips. This one time, in fact, I..."

"What happened then?" Daniel interrupted.

Surprised, Penny paused, and then continued, "Macgyver than sent me upstairs, but only a few seconds later, I heard what sounded like a gunshot. Then there was a crash, and then, as I watched from the window, a bunch of men ran into the house and the noises stopped. I went running back downstairs, but then you were at the door, and Macgyver was gone!"

"Thank you for you help, Penny. We'll do all we can to retrieve 'Macgyver,'" Daniel said, patronizing the woman. "We actually would like you to repeat your story to a friend of ours. Would that be okay?"

Penny Parker nodded, and then she shook her head. "No, at least, not yet! I have to call Pete!"

Sighing, Sam handed her phone to the hyper woman, and the woman took it gratefully.

After punching in a few numbers, the woman spoke quickly into the phone, "Pete, this is Penny Parker. You won't believe what I have to tell you!" She was quiet for a few moments as someone on the other end spoke for a moment, and then she said, "No, Pete, I'm fine, no one is trying to kill me. But, Pete? I found him! I found Macgyver!"

There was a long pause on the other line. Then a torrent of words poured through the phone. Same was beginning to wonder if letting the woman make the call before she talked to Hammond was such a good idea. Too late now, she supposed.

* * *

Several states away, a man was sitting on his couch staring at the ceiling when his phone began to ring. The man was older, his one attractive face was now lined with wrinkles and his hair was beginning to go grey, but as he quickly sat up, his movements betrayed a deadly grace. Quickly putting the phone to his ear, he simply said, "What is it?"

He listened carefully for a few moments, and then a slow, predatory smile spread across his features. After listening carefully, he said, "If this information is true, you will be well-rewarded. Meet me tomorrow at noon. Regular place." Without waiting for confirmation, the man hung up the phone and slowly stood, stretching. His smile spread, and he murmured to himself, "I knew you weren't dead, Macgyver! And now," the man continued, pulling a wicked looking blade out of his coat pocket, he murmured, "it's time to settle an old score."

* * *

"So, what are you going to do exactly?" Jack said, seeking as much information as he could get out of his captors.

"We've been experimenting with Goa'ulds," Patty said cheerfully. "We think that we've found a way to control them. However, using this weaker strain of Goa'uld, might provide us with some understanding of how you are able to resist the Goa'uld mindset. Please don't struggle Colonel O'Neill, you might rip some of the sensors out."

Unable to help himself, Jack quipped, "Do you know that you are a rather stereotypical villain? Come on, Simmons, couldn't you have found someone a little more unique?"

"I am no villian," the woman said, affronted, "I am, in fact, trying to save the world. Now if we can continue?"

Jack growled and ignored her as he began to thrash. "Don't you dare..." he threatened, but they didn't give him time to finish his thought. Instead, a Goa'uld was pulled out of a container, and the next moment, he head was being pulled back and he felt the all-to-familiar sensation of having a creature rip its way into his neck. Growling, he went to battle the invader.

* * *

Like the last time this had happened upon Hathor's ship, Jack found himself in front of his internal Stargate. It seemed whenever things found their way into his mind, he met them here. The Goa'uld that faced him was in human form in this insubstantial world, and it grinned at him in a predatory fashion.

"Hello, host," the Goa'uld intoned, his eyes flashing, "I see that you are prepared to do battle. That's impossible, you know."

"Try me," Jack growled. Instantly, there was a large machine gun in his hands and he pointed it at the snake-head.

The snake-man snorted. "This is new," he observed, "but useless. I have direct control of your nervous system. What makes you think that this will do any good?"

Jack smiled a slow smile. "It's worked before." With that, he pulled back the hammer and as he squeezed down on the trigger, the Goa'uld's eyes widened comically. He drew back his hand and threw something at Jack just before the rain of bullets blasted through him. Jack could only see the man stiffen and fall before the memory that the Goa'uld had thrown hit him.

* * *

_Macgyver moved slowly through the dark street toward Sam's car. He could see it parked in the distance, and caution and instinct warred within him. He knew it was a trap, but his concern for his son forced him to approach it anyway. However, as he reached it, nothing happened. He did, however, find a note in the door. _

"_Macgyver," the note read, "you son, Sam, is currently my guest. He would like to request that you join us at the old warehouse on 5__th__. If you don't come alone and by 5:00, well, let's just say that Sam will positively...die."_

_The note had no signature, but Mac didn't need one. The tone was the same, and along with Pete's warning, he knew Murdoc was up to his old tricks. Worry filled him however. He was out of practice, and Murdoc had been preparing for years for this encounter. Macgyver could only hope that his luck hadn't run out._

* * *

Jack woke up gasping, fighting the memory that they dying Goa'uld had thrown at him. Last time he'd done this, it had only stalled the Goa'uld, injuring him so he couldn't continue. This one seemed much weaker. _It probably had something to do with their experimentations on it,_ he thought.

He opened his eyes to find Simmons, the Goa'uld, and Doctor Patty staring at him.

"Incredible," Simmons hissed, his eyes aflame with excitement.

"Only two minutes and thirty seconds," Patty said excitedly.

"And you're positive that the Goa'uld is dead?" Simmons asked.

"How did this Tau'ri...?" Conrad the Goa'uld hissed.

Jack smiled, "What's all the fuss about? Were you friends with that bloke or something?"

"Interesting," Doctor Patty murmured, "he appears to be completely aware of how he accomplished this. If this can be utilized..."

"So, can I go now?" Jack smirked.

Simmons look however, caused his smile to falter a bit. "Don't worry, Jack," the man said, "that was only round one. Are you ready for round two?"

Jack couldn't help the horror that filled his eyes briefly, and he began to struggle again, "No," he gasped, but that didn't stop them from holding up another symbiote grabbing him by his hair and placing it near his neck. Again, he felt the piercing pain, and then he was back in his mind-stargate.

* * *

This time, it was a female Goa'uld host. At her feet lay the decomposing dead male Goa'uld. "O'Neill, of SG-1," she hissed.

"What?" Jack asked, "Does that mean I'm part of your genetic memory now?"

She smiled. "I will relish the opportunity to possess your form."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Jack said, rolling his eyes, "doesn't it bother you that I'm a man?"

"No," the Goa'uld said, "in fact..."

However, she didn't get much further than that as an M-16 appeared in Jack's hands. "Nighty-night," he said. As he opened fire, he was engulfed by another memory, though a brief one.

* * *

_He cautiously crept through the window. Both the front and the back door had been wired, and there was only one window that seemed to be accessible. Again, Mac felt the trap closing in around him, but he had little choice. He had pried the window open with his pocket knife, and to his surprise, nothing was waiting for him on the other side. He quietly crept down the hall, years of experience coming back to him as naturally as if he'd never quit the Phoenix Foundation. _

_He could hear quiet, muffled sounds coming from just around the corner, when the trap was finally sprung and he realized that he was not where near ready for what Murdoc had prepared this time. As he stepped on a loose board, his legs crashed through, and he found himself tumbling through the air toward the ground twenty feet below. He didn't even remember hitting the ground._

* * *

When Jack came to this time, he ached. His neck felt like it was swelling with pressure, and he felt feverish. Groaning, he opened his eyes to find them light sensitive.

"There appears to be more pain this time. Perhaps the first symbiote has not finished decomposing yet?" Patty's voice came in a clinical way. "Perhaps we should wait for a moment and give the dead symbiotes time to decompose into his blood stream?"

"No," Simmons cold voice came back, "the weaker he gets, the more it might change his ability to kill the symbiote. The symbiote as it enters can dispose of the others. Put another one in."

Jack felt groggy. Weakly, he tried to protest, but they didn't give him much time. Before he could do anything, his head was forced to the side again, and he felt another sharp pain in his neck.

* * *

Jack staggered to his feet in front of his internal stargate. This Goa'uld was a man again. Jack rolled his eyes. At the man's feet lay the dead female Goa'uld and a few remains of the dead male.

"O'Neill, of SG-1," the male smiled.

Jack shook his head. He felt fuzzy, and he looked down to see that his image was fading in and out. He still tried to quip, "Isn't it getting a little crowded in here?"

The Goa'uld looked down. "Oh, you mean these two? Don't worry, I'll dispose of them as soon as I have complete control."

Jack shook his head. He tried to form a gun, but his mind felt shaky. Rubbing his head, he growled, "I don't think so." Then, he forced himself to focus, and finally, he stood in front of a Gatling gun. "Good-bye, Goa'uld," he growled.

However, even though he was able to fire, the bullets hadn't even reached the Goa'uld before he was overtaken by a longer memory. One that he would have liked to forget...

* * *

_When he awoke, it was to the feeling of pain. Blood was running from a cut on his forehead that was nearly blinding him in his left eye. His right leg was shooting pain up his spine, but he quickly realized that the worst pain was coming from his left hand. Looking up, blinking away the blood, he realized that he was dangling in midair, tied by a rope that was secured to a beam on the center of the warehouse. He looked down to see that his legs were tied together and secured to a large weight that was causing the strain on his arm to be magnified. _

_It only took him a moment longer to realize that his right arm was completely free, and for some reason, that worried him the most. Reaching up with his right hand, Mac grabbed the rope and lessened some of the pressure on his wrist by hoisting himself up a bit. This lessened the pain a little, but his worry only increased as Murdoc stepped into his vision, holding a .24 caliber Beretta toward his son's head._

"_Sam!" Macgyver cried, "are you alright?"_

_Sam nodded frightened, his eyes wide as deliberately avoided looking at his captor. _

"_Macgyver," Murdoc began in that same pleasant tone that he always spoke in just before he went for the kill, "it's been a while, how have you been? I see you finally cut off that ridiculous mullet. Was that Sara's doing?"_

"_Let Sam go, Murdoc! If it's me you want, you've got me! Leave my family out of this. This is no time for your sick games," Macgyver gasped, as his accumulated injuries made it difficult for him to think._

_Murdoc's pleasant smile dropped. "On the contrary, Macgyver," he said, "I've waited the last two years to continue this little game of ours. Didn't anyone ever tell you? It will never be over until one of us is dead." At these words, Mac felt dread fill his heart, and then Murdoc regained his smile. _

"_However, Macgvyer," the killer continued, "not wanting this to end with a bang and a whimper, I've decided to make it a little more exciting for you." At that, Murdoc moved his foot to press a button and over head something exploded sending an object flying down from the ceiling. Just in front of Macgyver, the object was brought to a halt as the rope reached the end of its length and bounced the item in front of Macgyver's vision. It was a rifle, and a short bayonet was attached to the front of it. Macgyver couldn't help but be confused as he stared at it. _

"_What's the meaning of this, Murdoc? Why are you doing this?" Macgyver asked, making no motion toward the gun. _

_Ignoring Macgyver's questions, Murdoc instead said, "You know, Macgvyer, I've done little but think about you for the last couple years."_

"_What a waste of time," Macgyver couldn't help but quip._

_Murdoc's smile faded slightly, but then he resumed his obviously prepared speech, "You see I've discovered something. Simply killing you just wouldn't be enough. We are two sides of a coin Macgyver, and it has continued to baffle me that for all of your inferior skill and obstinate aversion to killing, you have still managed to beat me every time that we have crossed paths. I've since come to realize that even if I killed you, I would still lose because your, shall we say, principles will remain after you are gone. People will still see you as a spotless, golden hero, and that is unacceptable." _

_As Murdoc's smile widened, Macgyver knew that he didn't like where this was going. "In order to truly kill you, I can't just destroy your body, but I have to destroy your spirit as well. Now that you actually have a family to lose, what will it do to you to watch them die one by one?" _

_Macgyver's body filled with rage, and releasing the rope, his body was once again suspended by his left wrist and he reached for the gun. _

_Murdoc, if anything, looked even more pleased. "Yes, Macgyver," he said, "get the gun. Shoot me, if you can. I'll give you 60 seconds. If by the end of that 60 seconds you still haven't killed me, Sam will suffer the consequences. I'll turn my back, so you can come up with any clever little ideas you want without distractions. Try your best Macgyver, but remember, the clock is ticking."_

_Chuckling, Murdoc turned away, and tightened his grip on Sam. Macgyver's mind was scrambling, pushing the pain aside and focusing on saving his son. He was able to easily untangle the gun from it's harness, and in fury, he aimed it at Murdoc's back. It would be so easy..._

_Angry, he shook his head, and began to use a sharpened blade at the front of the gun to saw through the rope suspending him to the ceiling. He was counting down the clock in his head. It had been fifteen seconds getting the gun out, and ten seconds later, he was through the first rope. He came down uncomfortably hard on his injured leg, but he pushed that aside. It took him ten seconds more on rope tying his legs together, and he scrambled to his feet. He still had 25 seconds to get to Murdoc, and to save Sam. He knew he could cross that distance. He felt hope filling him, and with gun in hand, he tried to take off running, forgetting about the pain in his right leg. It turned into a limping shuffle, but Macgyver was confident that he would make it. _

_Afterward, he knew he should have expected it. Murdoc always had another trick up his sleeve, and so when the second trap was sprung, he should have been able to avoid it. It was hidden under a section of netting, and when he stepped on it, he felt pain hit him in a familiar way. After all, it wasn't his first time stepping into a bear trap. As it closed on his ankle, despair filled him and he was send crashing to the ground, crying out in pain. _

_Murdoc turned around, his face revealing his pleasure. "Predictable, Macgyver. You've gotten soft in your old age. And time is up. Say goodbye to your son."_

"_Murdoc," Macgyver begged, sweat running down his face as he tried to crawl toward the madman, "don't do this, please. Kill me instead."_

"_You have the gun, Macgyver, you can still stop me," Mudoc pointed out, as he brought the gun lower and pointed it straight at Sam's chest. _

_As Macgvyer realized that Murdoc was right, everything within him rebelled at using the gun that he still held in his hand. Murdoc watched Macgyver war within himself, and then before a choice was made, Murdoc made it for the man._

"_Sorry, Macgyver, but time is up."_

_Sam had one moment to realize that his Dad wasn't going to save him as he saw Murdoc's finger tighten on the trigger. _

"_Dad!" he yelled, and sound of the shot sounded before Sam's cries had even finished echoing of the rafters. _

"_Sam!" Mac roared in horror as blood blossomed down the front of Sam's shirt and his son crumpled to the ground. _

_Murdoc watched Macgyver's reactions with a kind of sick pleasure, and then he turned. "I'm off to visit Sara and your other son, what was his name? Oh, yes. Charlie." He then turned back one final time to look at the despairing man behind him. "I'll give them your regards," he hissed._

_There are defining moments in each man's life. Macgyver would always remember this moment as one of those when something snapped within him. _

"_You don't touch my family," he roared, lunging to his knees and firing the rifle point blank at the back of the man who had caused him so much pain and sorrow. _

_He saw the bullet impact Murdoc, and with a cry the man spun around and looked at Macgyver with horror on his face. "Macgyver?" he cried as he fell in a heap and laid still. _

_However, once the immediate threat to the rest of his family was over, Macgyver's only attention was on his son. Using the rifle as a brace, Macgyer managed to open the trap and slip out his bleeding, crushed ankle. Crawling toward his son, he said, "Sam! Sam! Can you hear me?"_

_Macgyver was relieved to find his son still bleeding and alive, but barely. "I'm so sorry, Sam!" Macgyver cried out as he tried to staunch the blood with his own hands. _

_Sam didn't stare at him with anger, but pain and fear filled his features. "I'm scared, Dad," the young man said, "it hurts."_

_Macgyver felt tears mix with the blood on his face as he took in his son's pallor and the wound. "It'll be okay, Sam," he croaked, "just hang in there."_

_Sam tried to nod, and said, "I'm trying." Then, after a long moment, in a little boy voice, he asked, "Do you think Mom will be there to meet me?"_

_Staring in horror at the implications of what his Son had just said, Macgyver could only nod. "Grandpa Harry's waiting too, son," he said, "but it's not your time yet. You're going to make it." _

_Sam only smiled slightly, and then a tremor ran though his body. Macgyver had seen too many people die in his life, and this was one more curse to add to his list. With a roar, Macgyver turned to look at Murdoc, but the man was gone. Only a blood trail remained where he had been sitting._

* * *

This time, his waking was slow. For a moment Mac...or Jack didn't even know who he was. Even if he hadn't been chained down, Jack wouldn't have been able to move. Every joint ached and his head and neck felt like they were on fire. Even worse, his heart and mind were filled with images of Sam's face as he had died. He felt moisture on his face, and he couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears. It didn't seem to matter so much. All Jack knew was that he'd been forced to relive his greatest failing.

"Should we try again?" a fuzzy voice asked that buzzed in and out of his hearing.

"No, to try again might kill him, which would not serve our purposes," another voice said. "Let him heal for the moment."

Relieved, his conscious brain relaxed and he slipped into a restless sleep, where his brain continue to replay what the Goa'uld had jump-started.

* * *

_Full of fear, aware that the rest of his family was still in danger, Macgyver began to go to work. After a few moments, he had a functioning brace on his foot, and a sled to pull Sam's body in as he pulled them both back to the car. Racing home, he quickly limped inside, relieved to find Sara waiting for him. _

_She screamed slightly, as her bloodstained husband limped into the house, but before she could ask any questions, he quickly pulled her close to him. "Get the baby," he said, the urgency clear in his voice, "anything that you absolutely need. We've got to get out of here, and we're not coming back."_

_Sara was too smart to argue. She could see that Macgyver was on the edge of exhaustion. "Where's Sam?" she asked, as she grabbed the bags that she had already packed while her husband was gone, and started walking them toward the door. _

"_In the car," was all Macgyver said, but something about the way he said it filled her with dread. _

_Ten minutes later, they had everything they needed and she was driving away from their home forever. Sara only looked back once, and as she did, she caught sight of Sam. In horror she looked at her husband, but he was nearly unconscious from pain. Shaking, she followed his directions and kept driving to an old friend of theirs, Colonel John Collins of the United States Air Force. _

_A few hours later, she pulled in front of his house and raced to the front door. She was relieved when the Colonel himself opened the door. He looked tired and he was in his pajamas, but he was there. "Sir," she said, "we need your help, but we also need your indiscretion."_

"_Sara? Macgyver's wife?" Colonel Collins said, "What on earth are you doing here at this hour?" _

_With a gasp of horror, she lost her thin veneer of control. "Sam's dead and Macgyver's badly hurt! Please help them!" she cried and burst into tears._

_Macgyver woke up. He could smell the antiseptic smell of a hospital, and he looked up to see the kind face of Colonel Collins looking at him. _

_For a long moment, Macgyver couldn't remember how he got there, and then it all came crashing back to him. With a groan that came from more than physical pain, he closed his eyes again, trying to shut out the memories. _

"_That won't do any good, Mac," the Colonel said. "You almost died. Sara has asked me to not tell anyone that you are here or that I've seen you, but Pete has half the country out looking for you. Do you want to tell me what happened, and why I'm not allowed to tell Pete where you are?"_

_Macgyver continued to breathe hard for several minutes, struggling to conquer the memories, and then, lowering his hand, he said, "I'll try."_

_It took him several attempts, and several minutes, but he explained what exactly had happened, but when he came to the part about Sam, self-disgust crossed his face. _

"_It was my fault!" he cried. "If only I had fired that gun earlier, Sam would still be here. I was a fool!"_

_Colonel Collins, who had never understood the other man's aversion to guns, didn't say anything. Instead, he just listened patiently until Macgyver had finished speaking. Silently, they sat for a long moment, and then the Colonel spoke up. "As much as I appreciate your position, Macgyver, I don't know how I can help."_

"_Murdoc's not dead," Macgyver said, his voice dead and his eyes tired. "He'll never stop coming after me until Macgvyer is dead and buried. I need to disappear, sir." _

"_Witness protection?" Colonel Collins asked. _

"_More than that, Colonel," Macgvyer said, "I want to join the Air Force. Put me somewhere where I can do real good."_

_Reeling in shock, Colonel Collins said, "But you hate guns!"_

_As if from an old memory, Macgvyer intoned, "If I like baseball, I take up golf...right? Who would ever think to look for Macgyver within the military?"_

_Colonel Collins couldn't help but see the logic behind that. However, he still had his reservations. "But, Mac," he protested, "could you do it? Could you kill people?"_

_As Macgyver looked up at the ceiling for a long moment, the Colonel could see the fight raging in his eyes. "For my family," Macgyver toned, "I can do anything."_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"No."

Carter rolled her eyes. "Just a few moments ago, you said you would be happy to come and talk to General Hammond with us."

"Not until Pete gets here," the woman said, a stubborn set to her petite jaw. As she noticed the worry lines on Sam's face however, the other woman softened. "Please Major Carter? He's almost here."

"Fine!" Carter snapped, then felt foolish for doing so as Teal'c looked at her reprovingly. They were all worried for Colonel O'Neill. This was no time to panic.

At that moment, a dark car pulled up in front of the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain. A man got out, dark glasses covering his eyes, and with a white cane in hand.

"She didn't say he was blind," Daniel whispered softly in her ear. Carter nodded and watched as the man's driver guided them toward them.

"Oh, Pete!" the woman cried as she launched herself into the blind man's arms.

"Where is he, Penny?" the man asked, the excitement evident in his voice, "Was it really him?"

"It was definitely him," Penny confirmed, "but some men came and took him and now I don't know where he is?"

"What?" the man said, sounding outraged.

"Uh, Pete," Penny said, suddenly remembering the others, "these are Mac's friends. They want to talk to us downstairs."

The man nodded and blindly extended his hand. Daniel quickly moved forward to shake it.

"Thank you for waiting for me to arrive," the man said, "after all these years..."

"You're welcome," Daniel replied, "but if you don't mind, we are in a hurry. We have to find Jack before he gets in too much trouble."

Behind the glasses, the man looked confused for a moment, and then he seized Daniel's arm with a grip that surprised the younger man.

"Lead on," was all he said, but SG-1 gratefully did.

* * *

When Jack woke up this time, he felt better, though his neck still occasionally felt as though someone was drilling it with a knife. He felt a bit feverish still, but his mind seemed clearer. No one was in the room, and knowing he had a limited opportunity, Jack began to pull at his bonds.

For a moment, his mind began to slip back into the familiar pattern, but quickly he squashed that. He wasn't Macgyver anymore and Jack O'Neill solved his problems differently. However, there were opportunities that Jack was willing to take when he spotted them. Nearby, on a tray on a medical table was a small surgical knife. He tried to reach for it, but the straps on his hands prevented him from even touching the table. He did notice that the tray was slightly off the table. Once again his mind began to race, and this time he listened to it, desperate to get out of there. Quickly, he began to loosen his shoe. He pulled at it, until only his toe was still in his shoe and then carefully, he tested the limit of the strap on his ankle.

Feeling hopeful, he calculated the distance and angle and then used his foot to throw his shoe at the tray. His aim hadn't diminished over the years. His shoe flew and then landed on the edge of the tray , causing it to flip over and fling its contents toward Macgyver. Fortunately, when the knife flew, it landed near his hand. Unfortunately, it landed _in_ his hand. Jack grunted as the surgical knife impacted the back of his hand and stuck. Grateful that it was close to his fingers however, he ignored the pain and manipulated the blade until he was holding it in his fingers. He began to saw frantically at the strap until it broke and his hand yanked freed. Then, using his hand, he undid the straps on his other hand and feet.

Rolling to the side, he sat up, wincing as his neck twinged with pain, and then he quickly put back on his shoe. Staggering, he made it to the door, grateful to find it unlocked.

When he stepped outside, he was in for another shock. The guard was lying on the floor unconscious. A little further down the hall, he could see another person on the ground. Concerned with this bout of good fortune, Jack began to carefully move down the hall, his military training kicking in. Instantly he was Jack again, and the moment of Macgyverisms were forgotten.

His senses trained for any movement, it was almost worse when nothing happened. He crept down the hall passing body after body, though they all seemed to be alive still. Soon he came upon a door that was brightly labeled, 'exit.' Moving cautiously, he placed a hand on the door knob, and jumped slightly when a noise finally interrupted the silence.

"Macgyver."

Jack spun around, his hand automatically going to a gun that wasn't there, and he dropped down in a crouch.

A man stepped out from behind a nearby doorway. "Is it really you, Macgyver? You look so different."

Jack instantly knew he had two ways to play this, but he desperately wished he had a gun so he could do the thing he really wanted to do. Standing across from him was Murdoc. The man had aged a bit in the last seven years, but though there was grey in his hair and lines on his face, the man still oozed danger and death.

"Who are you?' he snapped, slowly rising to his feet, playing 'dumb' as he did so often with his team.

"I'm hurt, Macgyver. Don't tell me you have amnesia again. Do I need to do something to jog your memory? Especially after I'm helping you escape."

"Whoever you are," Jack said evenly, "I appreciate your help, but I'm afraid you have me mistaken for someone else." Then, not waiting for a reply, Jack turned and opened the door, stepping outside.

"Don't you dare turn away from me now!" Murdoc roared and laid a hand on his shoulder. Acting instinctively, Jack seized the hand, turned and pulled it up behind Murdoc, and shoved the other man into the wall, putting pressure on his shoulder.

For a moment, pure anger seized Jack and he almost twisted the arm that he held in his grasp, but knowing that would give away his charade, he released the other man instead. He once again turned and walked out the door.

"Look, Macgyver," the other man said, following him through the door and out to the empty street beyond, "you can't fool me. I've missed you the last seven years. My targets have all been boring empty-headed fools. I've eagerly searched for an actual challenge, and wouldn't you know, you finally show up."

"Look, mister," Jack said, wheeling on the other man, "My name is Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force. Two 'L's in that. I don't know who you've mistaken me for, but if you don't leave by the time I find a gun, I'll shoot you."

Murdoc froze in his tracks. His mouth kind of dropped open, and his eyes grew comically large. "Wha..." he began to say, but then an alarm began to sound from the building behind them, and both men took off running before more could be said.

Desperately hoping the other man believed him, Jack raced down the street with his arch-nemesis in tow. It was turning out to be a whacked out day.

Racing into an alley, Jack pulled up against the wall and listened. Murdoc came to a stop right behind him. Jack ignored him and tried the back door that led into a nearby building. It was open, and Jack quickly went inside. Instantly, sound greeted him, and he was relieved to find himself in a small restaurant. Murdoc followed him silently, his face troubled.

Jack walked up to the counter, where a pretty young woman, stood smiling brightly. "Can I take your order," she asked with a wink at the attractive older man.

"Actually," Jack said, "do you have a phone I can use?"

"Sure," the girl said, looking disappointed, "you can use my cell phone." She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to Jack and he nodded gratefully and went and stood against the wall. Murdoc continued to follow him, still staring at him quizzically.

Jack quickly punched in the familiar numbers and then gave his identification number. The phone rang four times before it was finally picked up.

"Look," General Hammond's voice came over the other end, "whoever this is, we are in the middle of an emergency..."

"General," Jack said, and the sound of his voice stopped the man cold.

"Jack!" Hammond cried, "where are you?"

"Hang on," Jack said. He turned toward the girl at the counter who was watching him and asked, "What's the address for this place?"

The girl told him, and Jack quickly relayed the message back.

"We'll be there in five minutes," Hammond promised, "don't go anywhere."

"Thanks," Jack said, and hung up. He handed the phone back to the girl and went and sat down at the table. Murdoc was starting to creep him out, not that he didn't usually. He was just so quiet, staring at him like he had grown a second head. When Jack sat at the table, he sat down across from his and just kept staring.

Finally, Jack had enough. His neck ached, he still felt sick, and this nightmare from his past just kept following him around. "Take a picture!" he snapped.

Then, Murdoc's face shifted and he began to laugh. It was a sound that had haunted Jack's sleep for years.

"It's brilliant!" the man cried. "No wonder I never found you. Who would ever look for peace-loving, gun-hating Macgyver in the military? But honestly, Mac, I never saw you as the running kind."

"Look, you insane wacko," Jack said, "go be crazy somewhere else. I've got to get back to work soon. Choose someone else to be delusional about."

At that moment, Murdoc turned dangerous. Leaning forward, he seized Jack's collar and pulled him toward him. "You," he snarled, "don't get to play games with me. I'm the one with the games. I know who you are Macgyver. I know you encountered Penny Parker today, and she called Pete to let him know you were alive. One of my contacts called me and told me about the lab today. You may be different, but you are still Macgyver."

The next moment, Murdoc's knife was in Jack's hand and at Murdoc's throat. "I'm really, really not," Jack growled, and Murdoc's face showed surprise again. "If you really want to go to jail," Jack continued, "fine by me. Stay here until the troops arrive."

Slowly, he released Murdoc. Keeping his knife, Jack leaned back in his seat and began to play with it dangerously. Murdoc looked suitably confused.

"Come on, Macgyver," Murdoc said, "charades up. You may have changed a bit, but you're still you. Just admit it."

"You don't understand, Murdoc," Jack said, "Macgyver's dead. He died with Sam."

Murdoc's eyes widened at the partial admission and then he glared at the other man.

"You're not dead," he growled, "you're right in front of me."

Jack just shook his head. Then the front doors burst open, and Simmons was pointing a gun at him.

"O'Neill!" the man roared, "I am going to..." but Jack's knife was already in motion. It impacted the other man's gun, and knocked it flying from his hands, and Jack was up and charging at him. Both were soon grappling, and the girl at the counter began to scream.

Murdoc calmly walked over and picked up the gun. Jack and Simmons didn't notice over the racket they were making. Outside, a gun battle was beginning. SG-1 had pulled up just as the rest of Simmons' team had surrounded the restaurant. Simmons' men were firing at SG-1. Bullets began to cut through the restaurant, and Jack froze as he remembered the danger of the girl who had helped him out at the counter. Then he leaped over the counter and took the girl to the ground. "Stay down," he whispered. "Call the police."

Here eyes were wide with fright, but she nodded, and Jack stuck his head up just in time for a bullet to whiz past his ear. He ducked again, and suddenly Murdoc was by his side. "I was wrong, Macgyver," Murdoc said, his eyes alight with excitement, "you haven't changed a bit."

"Save it," Jack hissed, and then peeked over the counter again. The bullets were slowing down, and then he could hear sirens in the distance coming closer.

"Another time," Simmons' voice echoed across the room and a few moments later, he heard the screeching sound of a fast getaway. Jumping over the counter, he raced outside, and came face to face with Teal'c.

"O'Neill," the man said, looking relieved. Daniel and Carter weren't far behind. The police pulled up a moment later. Predictably, Murdoc was already gone, but Jack couldn't shake the itch between his shoulder blades that told him he was still being watched.


End file.
